Born during the height of China’s controversial, headline-making attempt to address its population crisis, Nanfu Wang never gave much thought to the One Child Policy. That all changed when the acclaimed documentary filmmaker learned she was going to be a mom. Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “One Child Nation” sees Wang teaming up with Jialing Zhang to explore the legacy of the law, which made it illegal for couples to have more than one child. Though eliminated in 2015, its effects continue to be felt across the nation — and beyond.
“None of my family questioned the policy or how it was implemented,” Wang says in a new trailer for the film. She explains,”Throughout my life, I was taught to believe that love of my country was equal to love of the government and the party. I was so angry, even with my own family, that there wasn’t more to be said or done.”
Interviewee after interviewee emphasizes that they had no choice in the matter. The spot revisits how the Chinese government took children away from families and separated siblings. The doc also examines the roles fraud, corruption, and trafficking played in the One Child Policy.
“One Child Nation” opens in theaters August 9.
“I hope people leaving the theater will become aware of and remember what happened in China during the one-child policy,” Wang told us. “I also hope people outside of China can think about their own situation and their own history.” She emphasized, “Propaganda doesn’t only happen in China. It takes savviness to recognize what is propaganda around us, and more often than not, it’s more pervasive in our lives than we think it is.”
“I Am Another You” and “Hooligan Sparrow” are among Wang’s previous credits.
